My mentor had discouraged me from >the >Guild, saying it was just an excuse to get together and slap each >other's backs and have some beer. Well, darn, I've yet to see the first beer in our chapter! I finished my masters in voice in '75, spent the next year driving a fork lift truck, the following, working in a welding shop, the following as a machine tech in a dialysis unit at the Indiana Univ. Med Center. Then did a stint of twenty years in church music, building a program at a growing church. When the oil bust came, life changed, and the people changed. In came a new reverend, and after a year of that, I cleaned out my office one day, left a note on his desk and said I simply refused to work for him. While sitting around depressed, I had the thought, "What'd it take to become a piano tooner. So I called the tech I'd used,and he put me in touch with Jim Geiger, and his two year course at Houston Community College. He said the course was closing down in one year, but if I wanted to double up on time at school and could pass everything, I'd get my little piece of paper. Couple months later a Lutheran church came chasing me, getting me back in the church gig part-time, so a little change was coming in,and I began piano work. Took the exams because Jim Geiger was an loyal Guilder, a consumate gentleman, a generous teacher, and I have owed much to other local Guild members for my learning. Rest is history. Now if only we would get the beer flowing......... les bartlett houston ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
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